Illusion
by Mychand
Summary: When Hawke is accused of murder, it's left to his friends to prove his innocence.
1. Chapter 1

_Found a "little" time to write. :o) _

**Illusion**

**Chapter 1**

A deep heaviness and pain pounded his brain as he slowly opened his eyes. Hawke found himself staring at the hangar ceiling while lying on the cold, hard cement. His mind in a fog, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, only to finally see the horror that surrounded him. Blood. Blood was all around him, on him. He knew he wasn't injured beyond the sharp spurts of pain that continued to pulsate through his head. "Whose blood is this?" Hawke asked himself. "What happened here?"

He slowly tried to stand, but slipped and fell back onto his knees. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Dom!" yelled Hawke. "Dom, where are you?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Seattle, Washington

"Hey Cait," yelled John Taylor as he strolled to the back offices of C&P Flight School. "You have a call on line one."

"Who is it?" she asked while rummaging through some paperwork and crunching on carrot sticks.

"It's that guy Michael again. He claims that he's an old friend," replied John. "Do you have time to talk or should I take a message."

Caitlin sighed. "I think you should just take a message," she replied. "I need to get going. My next student should be here anytime now."

"You got it," replied John as he headed back to relay her message.

Caitlin couldn't help but let her mind wander. It had been three years since she'd seen Michael. So much had happened and she vowed to leave her life in California behind her when she moved away. "What in the world could he want with me now?" she thought.

Caitlin put her paperwork aside and finished her quick lunch of veggies before heading out to meet with her next student. She and her fiancé Patrick had opened their own flight school in Seattle two years ago. She was doing quite well and had settled into a pretty normal life.

"Here's the information on your next appointment," said John as he handed her an information card.

Caitlin grabbed the card and started to read it as she headed outside. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest when she saw the name and looked up to see her new student.

"Doc?' she asked. "What are doing here? Lessons? Really?"

Doc smiled at her. "Okay, so I don't need flying lessons," he replied. "But I do need to see you. Michael has been trying to get it touch with you for two weeks now and you've been avoiding him."

"What, was he too afraid to come himself?" she asked sarcastically as she walked up to Doc and gave him a hug.

"He'll be here in a few minutes," replied Doc. "And yeah, he was afraid."

Caitlin stifled a laugh while thinking back to the last time she'd seen him. "I guess I can understand that. I wasn't too nice to him when I left."

"So I heard," he replied.

"What exactly is it that you and Michael want?" she asked.

Doc's smile quickly faded. "Do you have a place that we can talk privately," he asked. "Michael is on his way and we have a lot to discuss with you."

"We can go to my office," she replied as she escorted him inside.

Caitlin introduced Doc to her office assistant John. "John, my old friend Michael will be here shortly. Would you please bring him back to my office when he gets here?"

John gave her a puzzled look. "Sure," he replied. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No, just hold all of my calls and take messages," she replied.

When they got to her office, Caitlin shut the door and sat down behind her desk while Doc took one of the chairs that sat lined the main wall.

"Doc, I left that life and everyone associated with it behind me three years ago," she told him. "And I don't mean just physically. I moved on and put it all behind me."

Doc sighed. "I know," he replied. "And I heard about the death of your fiancé. I'm sorry. I guess things have been pretty tough for you."

Caitlin shrugged. "It's been a year now," she replied. "We were two weeks away from the wedding when it happened. It all seems so surreal. But, life goes on and I had to go on too. I'm doing pretty well for myself here."

"I can see that," replied Doc. "Cait, I wouldn't be here if it weren't important."

Caitlin closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "They must be in trouble," she said. "You and Michael wouldn't come here unless they were."

Before he responded, John knocked on the door and opened it, allowing the hesitant Michael to enter.

Caitlin smiled. "It's okay Michael," she replied. "I've forgiven you. You can come in."

Michael sat down beside Doc and waited for John to shut the door before he spoke.

"I'm sorry to have to bother you Cait," he told her. "I know you don't want to have anything to do with the Firm or Airwolf anymore but I wouldn't be here if it weren't important."

"I was just asking Doc about that," she replied. "I figure they must be in some kind of trouble for the two of you to come to me like this."

The two men looked at each other.

"Caitlin, Hawke is in jail," Michael said bluntly. "He's been accused of murder."

Caitlin looked at him in disbelief. "Murder? Hawke?" she asked. "What happened?"

"I wish we knew," replied Michael. "He woke up in the hangar covered in blood that wasn't his."

Something in Michael's words made Caitlin feel a bit uneasy. "Who did the blood belong to?" she asked.

Michael paused a moment before answering. He wasn't sure how she would take the news he was about to share. "It was Dominick's," he told her.

Caitlin became visibly upset. She felt the sting of tears welling up in her eyes. "Dom's dead?" she asked. "When did this happen? Was there a funeral?"

"That's part of the problem," replied Doc. "There's no body, just a lot of blood that was a match to Dom."

Caitlin stood up behind her desk. "Wait a minute," she said. "Are you trying to tell me that they think Hawke killed Dom? That's preposterous. He loved Dom. He'd never hurt him."

"We know that," replied Michael. "But Hawke won't talk. He won't tell anyone what happened. He had gun powder residue on his hands and Dom's blood all over him."

"How…..how can I help?" she stuttered, trying to gain her composure. "Wait, you want Airwolf don't you? This isn't about String."

"Of course it is," replied Michael. "Look, I don't blame you for doubting me after what happened before you left, but I care about Hawke. Yes, I want Airwolf, but we need the use of her computers to help trace Hawke and Santini's steps the night this went down. You're the only one who can help us now."

Caitlin shook her head. "Does he know you've come to me?"

"No, he doesn't," replied Michael. "We told you, he isn't talking. He doesn't want help."

"We don't believe he's guilty Caitlin," said Doc. "We want to prove it but we can't do it without you. Please. We really need your help."

Caitlin sat back down behind her desk and sighed. "Fine," she finally said. "I'll do what I can but you have to understand that after what happened before I left, this isn't going to be easy for me."

"We know," replied Michael softly.


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, this will provide a little more back story. This story may end up getting a little dark as it goes along. _

**Chapter 2**

The trip back to California was a somber one for Caitlin. Michael had flown them down in a private jet owned by the Firm. Caitlin stared out the window, letting her mind wander about the men she had left behind three years before. She had thought about them a lot and knew in her heart she still cared deeply for them. Regardless of what had happened, her life had changed and she knew it was because of them.

Doc moved and sat down beside her. "Cait," he asked. "I know you said you left after getting engaged. But, I know there's more to it. Why did you really leave? I mean I thought you loved being around Dom and String. You always seemed so content."

Caitlin sighed. "I was for really long time," she replied. "Then things changed and I met Patrick. His family is from Seattle and when he asked me to marry him he wanted us to start our life there. So much had happened with String and me that I felt moving was for the best."

"What happened?" he asked. "Call me crazy but the romantic in me always kind of thought the two of you should have been together."

Caitlin blushed slightly. "That was the problem," she replied before taking a deep breath. "It's a long story but I guess we have the time."

Doc took her hand in his. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, I don't mind," she replied. "It wasn't a big secret."

"I blame myself for part of what happened," said Michael who was also listening to the conversation."

"There was nothing you could do Michael," she told him. "It just happened."

Doc shifted sideways in his seat to look at her as she spoke.

"It all started when Michael sent us to South America to rescue the daughter of diplomat who had been kidnapped," replied Caitlin. "She was only eight years old….."

Doc stared as Caitlin's voice trailed off for a moment. "That must have been difficult," he said.

"More than you know," she replied. "We were too late. All we found when we got there was her body or what was left of it. I've never experienced anything so horrific in my entire life. It had a profound effect on both of us."

"That's terrible," said Doc.

Caitlin sighed. "Dom was in the hospital at the time. He'd thrown out his back again so only Hawke and I went. When we got back, we went up to the cabin and ended up on a bit of a drinking binge. I guess we thought it would take the edge off of what we were feeling," she said sadly.

"And did it?" asked Doc.

"No, it only made things worse," she replied, letting her mind drift off to that night.

_"I can't deal with this Hawke," Caitlin said with tears running down her face. "I can't get that image out of my mind. It's not fair. She was so young. How could they have done that?"_

_Hawke moved to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I know," he replied. "I know."_

_Caitlin looked into his eyes. She could see that the pain in them matched the feelings that were overwhelming her. _

_He pulled her closer and took her by surprise when he kissed her passionately._

"Cait?" asked Doc. "Are you okay? You don't have to continue if you don't want to."

"Sorry," she replied. "I was just thinking about that night. You see, Hawke and I ended up sleeping together. We just got caught up in the moment. Afterwards we realized that it was a big mistake. We were both just trying to find some comfort."

Doc squeezed her hand. "But you loved him, didn't you?"

"Sure," she replied. "But I was smart enough to know that he was never going to feel the same way. It just wasn't meant to be. I thought he knew I understood that but I guess he didn't. Little by little, he started pushing me away. He started dating a woman who was a little older than him and she didn't really like me around."

"I wasn't a fan of hers either," said Michael. "I could never see what he liked in her. She was very controlling and I never thought of Hawke with someone like that."

"Me either," replied Caitlin. "But, I did my best to move on. I met Patrick on the set of a movie that we were doing a stunt for. Within six months we were engaged and I decided it was time for a change in my life. Dom understood. Hawke was cordial and wished me well but things were never quite the same."

Doc turned and looked at Michael. "So what did you do to make her so mad at you?" he asked him.

Michael looked at Caitlin before answering. "It wasn't my fault," he replied. "It was the Firm."

Caitlin spoke up. "Michael and the Firm tried some very unethical tactics to keep me from leaving," she told him. "They even threatened to take away my pilot's license to keep me from ever flying again. I won't even get into the things they said they'd do to Patrick."

Michael sighed. "I apologized long ago for all of that," he replied. "There were people in the Firm who were afraid of not keeping close tabs on her because of her ability to fly Airwolf. In time, I was able to get them to change their minds."

"Have you seen Dom or Hawke since you left?" asked Doc.

Caitlin shook her head. "No, I haven't," she replied. "Dom would call me on holidays and my birthday or I would call him. But, I was so busy with my new life. Until now, I've never even thought of going back."

"Even after Patrick died?" asked Michael.

"Especially after he died," she replied. "I thought I owed it to him to keep his dream of the business alive. He wanted it so badly and he loved it."

"Caitlin, I really appreciate you coming back now," said Michael. "I know it can't be easy for you."

"No matter what has happened," she replied. "I still owe Hawke a lot. There is no way I believe that he killed Dom. I want to find out the truth just as much as you do."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Before landing, the group decided to lay out a plan for helping Hawke. "I say we start with Santini Air," said Doc. "We need to trace their steps and yes, we'll need Airwolf."

"I'll get Airwolf for you," Caitlin told them. "But, I want to talk to Hawke first."

"I doubt he'll see you," Michael replied. "But you can try."

"Michael, I left," she replied. "Part of me doesn't feel right about going in now and getting Airwolf without Hawke's knowledge or approval."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do," replied Michael. "I just can't guarantee anything."

"He'll see me," she told him confidently. "I have a way to assure it."

The two men looked at each other. "Care to elaborate?" asked Michael.

"Nope, that's between Hawke and me," she replied. "Trust me, he might not be happy about it, but he'll see me."

When they finally reached Santini Air, Caitlin was shocked to see how everything had been boarded up. The police tape still marked the entrance. Michael unlocked the door and let them inside.

"It doesn't even feel the same here anymore," said Caitlin. "Where exactly did this whole thing go down?"

"They found a pool of blood in the middle of the hangar," replied Michael. "Hawke was covered in it as well."

"How could they not have found a body?" asked Caitlin.

"They believe Hawke flew the body over the ocean and dumped it," said Michael. "There was blood found in the Santini helicopter."

Caitlin shuddered. "Hawke would never do that," she replied. "For one, he'd never harm Dom on purpose. If he somehow did by accident, he'd never dump him off somewhere. He loved Dom like a father and that's not the kind of man he is."

"Or was," replied Michael.

"What are you insinuating Michael?" asked Caitlin.

"Hawke changed a lot after you left," he told her.

Caitlin shook her head. "You know he'd never do a thing like that," she replied.

"Of course I know that," said Michael. "Why do you think that I'm trying to do everything in my power to clear him? I believe he's innocent."

Caitlin strolled over to the desk and sat down on the edge. "Tell me what they were working on," she said. "Were they doing work for the Firm?"

"Yes, they were," replied Michael. "We had gotten word that there were some smugglers running drugs and illegal weapons up and down a rural interstate just south of the state line. Hawke and Dom were recording and photographing the area over a period of several days before all of this happened."

"All in Airwolf?" asked Caitlin.

"Not all," replied Michael. "They used Santini's helicopter and the stunt camera for some."

"Huh," replied Caitlin. "This kind of reminds me of the time that I was attacked when those men were trying to recover film that Dom and Hawke had taken for a friend of theirs. Do you have all of the film they took?"

"Just the film taken from Santini's helicopter," replied Michael. "They were supposed to get me the rest from Airwolf the night that the murder happened."

"Have you looked at it?" asked Doc.

"Of course I have," replied Michael. "Marella and I both did and we couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."

"Maybe you just didn't know what you were looking for," said Caitlin. "Anything is possible. I'd like to check it out myself, but first I want to go and see Hawke."

Michael sighed. "Okay, you and Doc stay here and see if you can come up with any clues," he instructed them. "I'll see what I can do about getting you a visit with Hawke."

"Thanks," Caitlin replied somberly as she reached inside the desk drawer and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. She wrote down a short message for Hawke.

"Here, tell him this."

Michael read the note and gave her a puzzled look. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"Hawke will know," she told him. "He'll see me."

"Okay," replied Michael. "I'll be in touch."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Two hours later, Michael was escorting her into the room where she'd be meeting with Hawke.

"It's an interrogation room," he told her. "It won't be private, we'll be watching. At least you won't have to talk to him through a glass wall."

"It'll be fine," she replied.

"I still don't know how you managed it," said Michael. "He said no right away until he got your note."

Caitlin managed a weak smile. "I told you it would work," she replied. "Maybe someday I'll explain."

"Okay, I'll leave you here," replied Michael. "They'll bring him in shortly."

Caitlin took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she nervously waited. A few minutes later, a guard escorted Hawke into the room, removed his handcuffs before shutting and locking the door behind him.

Hawke slowly moved to the table and sat down across from her. She couldn't help but notice how pale and thin he had become. Her eyes caught his and she could see the fire and passion within him seemed to have gone out.

He stared at her before finally speaking up. "I never thought of you as the blackmailing type," he told her. "The note was a good move on your part."

"I needed to see you," she replied. "I figured it was the only way you'd agree."

"You were right," he replied. "Caitlin, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help prove you're innocent," she told him.

"You can't help me Caitlin," he replied. "Go home. There's nothing you can do. Dom's gone and you are better off far away from me."

Caitlin felt her anger growing. "You didn't kill Dom and I'm not going to let you go to prison for something you didn't do," she replied. "You know me. I'm not going to stop until I prove you didn't' do this."

"What if I don't want your help," he replied flatly. "What if I'm guilty?"

"Damn it Hawke," she yelled as she got up and walked to the corner of the room. "I know how much you loved Dom. You can sit there and pretend you've gone hard and cold because I know you. It's tearing you up inside but for some reason you don't want anyone to know that."

"You don't know me anymore Cait," he replied.

"The hell I don't," she replied. "I saw the look on your face at Horn's compound when you thought you shot Dom there. It tore you apart. I also saw the relief when you found out that the gun shot tranquilizers. The love and passion you have for your family, especially Dom runs deep. You haven't changed that much."

Feeling that he was losing the argument, Hawke got up and moved towards her. He grabbed her arms and pushed her towards the wall.

The men outside watching started to go inside and interrupt but Michael stopped them. "He won't hurt her," he assured them. "Please, just give her a few more minutes."

Back inside Caitlin stood still as Hawke glared at her. "I told you that I don't want your help. You need to go back to Seattle. Stay out of this. It's none of your business."

"I'm not going anywhere until you listen to what I have to say," she replied. "You don't scare me Hawke. If you won't let me do this for you, then let me do it for Dom. Let me go after whoever did this to him. He deserves justice and you going to prison won't get him that."

What happened next took Caitlin by surprise. Tears began to form in his eyes as he pulled her to him and kissed her before hugging her tightly.

"I don't want to scare you," he replied softly as he reached up and gently touched her face. I'm sorry. That's the last thing I want to do."

Caitlin hugged him again before pulling away and moving back to the table. "I need the Lady," she told him. "I didn't want to get her without your permission."

Hawke sat back down across from her. "Okay," he replied solemnly, finally giving in. "Do what you want."

"I need your help Hawke," she insisted. "You've got to tell me everything you remember about that night and what led up to it."

Hawke shook his head. "I can't," he told her. "Why do you think I want this all left alone?"

"Because it hurts too much to remember," she replied. "I get that."

Hawke sat quietly for a few moments before finally giving in to her request.

"The last thing I recall was coming back from dinner," he replied. "We had done some work for Michael several days before that but came up with nothing. Michael had wanted the additional footage and we were about to go back and get it. The next thing I remember was waking up in blood. I don't think I've ever felt that much despair in my entire life, not even after losing Saint John. I can't explain it. Dom was all I had left except…."

"Me?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"Yeah," he replied softly. "But I lost you three years ago."

"No, you'll always have me," she replied softly before getting up and moving back over to him. She leaned down and put her arms around him. "I'm going to go through all of the footage with Doc," she replied. "In the meantime, please write down everything you remember from that night."

Hawke sighed, "I'll try," he said while suddenly staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I was just thinking that you've grown even more beautiful," he said. "The years have been kind to you. I'm just sorry about Patrick. I know that must have been difficult."

Caitlin blushed at his comment. "It was," she replied, "But, I'm a fighter."

Hawke finally managed a slight smile. "You sure are," he replied. "I knew you'd get to me. I guess that's why I didn't want to see you. I was shocked that you came. Thanks for not giving up."

"Never," she replied as she gave him one last hug before the guard came in and took Hawke back to his cell.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After leaving Hawke, Caitlin met up with Doc at Santini Air before they both headed to a local hotel that Michael had reserved rooms for them at. They decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant before turning in for the night.

"I hope I can find something in that footage," said Caitlin. "None of this makes any sense to me."

"I know," replied Doc. "The chances it will show us anything are slim though. It's possible that what happened has no connection to the Firm or what they were doing."

"Doc, I know in my heart someone set Hawke up," she replied. "I don't know how or why but I believe that. There has to be a reason for it."

"I agree," he replied. "I think we need to look at this from more than one angle then. Someone wanted Hawke and Dom out of the way. Who are they and why?"

Caitlin shook her head. "I can think of a dozen people that they've crossed paths with who would want that," she replied. "We need to look at the timing of all this. Something either went down or is going down and we've got to figure out what that is."

After dinner, Doc walked Caitlin to her room and gave her a hug goodnight. "Get some rest," he told her. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"I'll try," she replied knowing it would be difficult to sleep. "Goodnight."

Caitlin went inside and sat at the foot of her bed. Her mind drifted to her first days at Santini Air. She could see Dom's face so clearly in her mind. His grin and his sometimes grizzly bear attitude brought a smile to her face. "No," she thought. "No, you're not dead. My head says it's not possible but my heart tells me you're still alive. But, where are you?"

Caitlin picked up the phone book. "If it takes me all night, I'm not going to stop until I find you."

It was three in the morning when Caitlin began knocking frantically on Doc's door. Doc jumped up and opened it, surprised to see her standing there still wearing the same clothes as when he dropped her off at her room.

"Cait, what's wrong?" he asked her. "You look like you haven't slept."

"I haven't," she replied while pushing herself into his room. "I think I may have found a lead. Get dressed quick. We have a place we need to check out."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "We haven't even seen the footage yet."

"Just get dressed," she ordered him. "I'll explain on the way. I just pray I'm right about this."

Doc complied and soon they were headed just out of town. "What's going on Caitlin?" he asked.

"I got a strange feeling that Dom was still alive," she replied. "So, I spent hours calling around to all of the hospitals in a hundred mile radius of Santini Air."

"Cait, that's a long shot," said Doc. "I'm sure the police and Michael did the same thing already."

"Why would they?" she asked. "They had his blood in the hangar and the helicopter. The flight plan showed it was flown over the ocean. But, I think that was decoy to keep them from looking elsewhere."

"So you think you found him?" he asked.

"I found three hospitals that took in John Does over the last month," she said. "One of them was taken in on the same night Dom was supposed to have been murdered. The lady I talked to seemed nervous about talking on the phone. She said she'd meet us in the hospital garage."

"Sounds a little strange to me but I guess we need to take all the leads we can find," replied Doc.

"Thanks," she replied. "I know the chances are that it isn't him but I just can't let it go until I check for myself."

An hour and a half later, they pulled into the hospital parking garage. As Doc parked the car, they noticed a woman in a nurse's uniform standing near the elevators, waiting for someone. Caitlin quickly got out and walked over to her. "Are you Eli?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're Caitlin? I'm glad you got here. I was getting a little nervous. My lunch shift is about over and I don't want anyone to notice I'm gone longer than necessary."

"You said you had some information about a John Doe that was brought in a few weeks ago?" asked Doc.

"Yeah," she replied. "It was strange too. They were very hush hush about him being here. It was almost like he was a celebrity only I've never seen him before. He came in very anemic and with some sort of memory loss."

Caitlin pulled a picture of her with Dom out of her purse. "Is this him?" she asked, nearly holding her breath for the answer.

The woman studied the photo. "Yeah, it does look like him," she replied. "I overheard plans for them to move him to a hospital on the east coast tonight. It could be happening anytime now."

"Where is he?" asked Caitlin. "Doc, we need to call Michael."

"There's a pay phone right down here," the woman said while pointing to the phone several feet away.

"I'll call and then we'll go up and check it out," replied Doc as he sprinted over to the phone.

"Thank you so much," replied Caitlin. "You have no idea how much you've helped."

"You're welcome," replied Eli. "From the moment they brought him in, something didn't sit right with me. I'm glad you called because I wasn't sure what to do about it."

Just as Doc was getting off of the phone, the elevators on the opposite side of the garage opened up. Caitlin immediately noticed Dom being pushed out in a wheel chair.

"Doc, look," she yelled as they both quickly headed towards Dom and the two orderlies that were with him.

Before they could get close, one of the men pulled out a gun and began firing at them. Caitlin felt the burn of the bullet as it found its way into her. Grabbing her side, she gasped before falling to the ground and passing out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Caitlin slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a dimly lit hospital room.

"Dom? Doc?" she asked in a whisper while trying not to panic.

"Shhhh," said Doc. "You're okay. We're at a hospital run by the Firm now. Michael had you flown here after they removed the bullet. You gave us quit a scare."

"Are you okay?" she asked while trying desperately to clear the cobwebs from her head.

"I should be the one asking you that. I wasn't shot if that's what you mean," he replied. "But I'm glad I brought a gun with me."

"And Dom?" she asked, nearly pleading for the answer she wanted to hear.

"He's in the room across the hall," he assured her. "Michael said he was given some kind of mind altering drug so they are trying to pinpoint it and see what they can do to counteract it. The doctor who had been taking care of him has mysteriously vanished. We still don't know what's going on and why."

Caitlin's eyes began to slowly shut. She was exhausted but relieved that they found Dom. "What about H…." she started to say before losing consciousness.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Later that afternoon, Caitlin awoke to the feeling of soft, moist lips on hers. Someone was holding her hand tightly as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked several times trying to focus on the person beside her.

"Hawke?" she asked. "Hawke is that really you?"

"Yeah, take it easy," he told her. "Just get some rest. Everything's going to be okay."

"Dom?" she asked.

"Don't worry he's here," replied Hawke. "He doesn't know who he is or who we are but they're working on it."

"You…..you're out of jail," she said softly.

Hawke leaned over and kissed her gently again. "Yeah, thanks to you. I'm so sorry you were hurt trying to help us."

"Worth it…" she replied while drifting off slightly.

"They have you on some pretty powerful drugs," he told her while gently stroking her hair. "You need your rest so you can get well. I'll be close by but I need to help Doc and Michael figure out who did this to us and why."

"Don't…..leave….yet," she said softly. "Please."

"I'll stay with you until you fall back asleep," he told her while giving her hand a slight squeeze. "Don't worry, you and Dom are both safe here. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you."

After Caitlin fell asleep, a slightly distraught Hawke walked into the hallway and leaned his head against the wall. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"She's going to be okay," said Doc who walked up with Michael after seeing Hawke leave the room.

"I'll be glad when she's well enough to go back to Seattle," he told them.

"You really want her to leave?" asked Michael.

"I want her safe," snapped Hawke. "She was back here for one day and she got shot."

"It's not your fault Hawke," said Doc. "Thanks to her we have Dom back and he's alive. You think she deserves to be pushed away like that?"

"You're never going to understand so just stay out of it," replied Hawke.

"Well, I understand it," replied Michael. "I think you've got it all wrong. There's no curse Hawke. It's life. Things happen, good and bad. Thanks to her you're out of jail and Dom is well."

"I never asked her to come," yelled Hawke.

"Well, I hope you didn't say anything like that to her," replied Doc in a huff. "She's too fragile right now."

Hawke sighed. "I wouldn't do that," he replied. "I just want her safe. Why can't you understand that?"

"Look, let's deal with that later," said Michael. "We need to go over the footage and see if we can come up with anything. Something has to be there. It's the only thing that makes any sense."

"Can we watch it here?" asked Hawke. "I don't want to go far from Cait and Dom until we find out who's behind all of this. For all I know your Firm may be involved."

"Fine," replied Michael. "I'll have Marella bring it over but you'll have to go and get the footage from Airwolf. Caitlin never made it there to pick it up."

"I'll go and get it then," he replied. "That is if Doc promises to wait here and keep an eye out on Cait and Dom."

"Of course I will," replied Doc. "Don't worry."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

A few hours later the three men along with Marella began to watch the film that Dom and Hawke had taken on their surveillance runs.

"All I see is what we saw when we were out there," complained Hawke. "It is just cars riding down an interstate. There's nothing out of the ordinary here. It doesn't make any sense."

"Let's take a break and get a cup of coffee," suggested Doc. "Maybe after we step back a moment we'll see it in a new perspective."

"I doubt it, but okay," replied Hawke. "I would like to go and check on Cait and Dom."

When Hawke walked into Caitlin's room, she glanced over at him and stared a moment. He moved close to her and kissed her on the forehead before sitting down in the chair beside her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Still a bit drowsy," she replied. "Whatever they've given me seems to be wearing off though."

"Are you in any pain?" he asked with concern. "I can go and get the doctor."

"No, I'm just a little sore," she replied. "It's okay. I don't want to have to sleep right now. I want to know what's going on."

"We've been looking at the video footage but so far nothing seems to stand out," he told her. "We're taking a break and going back to it in a little while."

"I want to see it too," she replied. "Let me help."

Hawke shook his head. "Caitlin, you're in no shape to help right now. You need to rest."

"I can't rest until I know who's behind all of this," she replied. "Please Hawke, let me help. Whoever did this has put us all through a lot. What can it hurt for me to help?"

Hawke stood up and moved away from the bed. "Cait, you already got shot while helping out. I think it's time you step back and let us handle this."

"No," she yelled while sitting up and suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her side. "No….ugh…..hurts…bad."

Hawke moved back to her and helped her lie back onto her pillow. "Take it easy," he told her. "I'll get the doctor."

A few minutes later, the doctor came out and met with an anxious Hawke, Doc, and Michael.

"How is she?" asked Hawke, not wanting to look the doctor in the eyes.

"I've given her something to help her rest," he told them. "She nearly pulled out a few stitches. I'd prefer she not get too excited right now. She needs to be kept calm."

After the doctor left, Michael and Doc stared at Hawke. "What happened?" asked Michael.

"She wanted to see the video and I told her she needed to stay out of it," replied Hawke. "I didn't mean to upset her."

"When she wakes up, let's let her see it," replied Doc. "Maybe woman's intuition can help here. She was right in her hunch about Dom."

"I agree," reply Michael. "I don't think it will hurt. We sure aren't able to find anything."

Hawke sighed. "Well, I guess I'm outnumbered here," he replied. "Fine, we'll let her help as long as the doctor agrees."


	6. Chapter 6

_Looks like this will be at least another ten chapter story. Thanks so much for the reviews! _

**Chapter 6**

Hawke sat beside Dom and stared at him. He had been asleep since he came into his hospital room an hour before. His mind drifted to that night. The horrible night when he awoke, covered in Dom's blood. Michael walked in and quietly sat down across from him.

"How did his blood get on me?" Hawke finally asked.

"He was anemic when found," replied Michael. "My guess is they took blood from him and used it to create the murder scene. He had no injuries, just memory loss."

"I was hoping he'd wake up so I could talk to him," replied Hawke.

"The medication they've given him to counteract the other drugs has pretty much kept him out," replied Michael. "But, my people feel that it will help. They believe he'll get his memory back in time."

"I wonder if he'll remember what happened?" asked Hawke. "I'd like to know if he saw who did this."

"Hopefully, he will," replied Michael. "I thought you should know that I set up the film in Caitlin's room for her to watch. After thirty minutes she asked me to get her newspapers from the last three weeks. I'm not sure why but Marella is working on that for her."

Hawke shook his head. "Michael do you really think I'm wrong to push her away? Don't you think she's been through too much since she met us?"

"I think she's a grown woman who can make her own choices Hawke," he replied. "Life is about choices and risk. Caitlin knows what she's doing."

"Hell yeah, you're making a mistake," said Dom who took the men by surprise.

"Dom!" yelled Hawke as he stood up and moved closer to him. "Do you remember us?"

"Of course I do," he replied giving Hawke a puzzled look.

"What do you remember happening to you?" Hawke asked him. "What's the last thing you recall?"

Dom thought for a moment. "I remember two men grabbing me outside of the hangar when I went to lock up. They had some doctor with them. Or he looked like a doctor anyway. He pulled me into a van and they started taking blood. After that I guess I blacked out. I don't remember much until I got here and things started getting clearer this morning."

"Well, you were right about how Dom's blood got on me," Hawke told Michael.

"My blood? What?" asked Dom. "What are you talking about?"

"I was framed for murder," said Hawke. "Somehow I blacked out and when I woke up I was covered in your blood. They arrested me for your murder and put me in jail."

Dom started to laugh and then stopped when he saw the serious look in Hawke's face. "You're serious, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am," he replied. "That's why Caitlin's here. Doc and Michael asked her to help prove me innocent. She's the one who didn't believe you were dead. It's thanks to her that we found you."

"That a girl Cait," said Dom with a smile. "Where is she?"

Hawke sighed. "She was shot while she and Doc were rescuing you," he replied. "She's across the hall."

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She'll be fine," assured Michael. "I'd better get over there and see if Marella made it back yet our not."

A minute after Michael left the room, they heard him yell out. Hawke jumped up and ran across the hall.

"Caitlin!" screamed Hawke as he knelt beside her on the floor.

"Hawke," she whispered. "I tried to stop them but they took the film."

"Easy baby. Shhh…take it easy," he told her as he gently picked her up and placed her on the bed. He could see the blood oozing from her side. "Get the doctor!" he yelled to Michael.

The doctor and a nurse quickly came into the room to check out Caitlin. After a quick assessment the physician informed them that they needed to get her into surgery. Within seconds they had her on a gurney and were whisking her away.

"How the hell could this happen, Michael?" asked Hawke. "It has to be an inside job. I thought your people ran this place and security was tighter?"

"I don't know Hawke," he replied. "Not everyone that comes here works for the Firm. There are a lot of government officials and their families that use this facility too."

"What's going on?" asked Marella as she stood at the door giving the two men a puzzled look.

"Someone took the film," replied Hawke. "Caitlin was hurt in the process. She's back in surgery."

"Well, I brought those newspapers she wanted," replied Marella. "Maybe we should start going through them and try and figure out what she was looking for."

Hawke sighed. "We need to do something. Someone is going to pay for what they've done here. I'm not going to stop until I find out."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

A little while later, Doc joined them in a small conference room as they all started going through the newspapers. It wasn't long before Marella stumbled upon an article that caught her attention.

"I wonder if this is what she was looking for?" asked Marella. "It's an article about a young woman that was found murdered. I remember it being all over the news several weeks ago. She was a college student."

"What does that have to do with our film?" asked Hawke.

"Look at the area she was found," replied Marella as she showed them all the paper. Isn't that in the same vicinity that you took the video?"

"Yeah, it is," replied Hawke. "Are you thinking we caught whoever did this on tape? I don't recall seeing anything like that."

"But we saw cars," replied Doc. "What if we can put someone's car in that area at the time of the murder?"

"If that's the case, they saw the Santini helicopter," replied Michael. "There's no way they could have connected you with Airwolf."

"If so, this has got to be tied to someone with clout," replied Marella. "They had to have money and connections to pull off what they did you and Dom."

"I agree," said Michael. "We need to keep this to ourselves. No one else is to know about this."

"Oh believe me Michael," replied Hawke. "Right now, I don't trust anyone."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Without that film, someone might get be getting away with murder and no one will ever know it," said Doc who was growing frustrated with the situation.

"Not exactly," replied Marella. "You see, I sort of saved an extra copy." Marella pulled a small disk out of her purse. "We just need Airwolf's computer view it."

Hawke leaned over and kissed Marella on the cheek. "You are something special Marella," he said with a grin.

Marella laughed. "Oh, I know it," she replied. "Let's go."

"Doc, will you please stay here and keep an eye out on Dom?" asked Hawke. "And keep us posted on Cait."

"Sure," replied Doc. "Let me know what you find out."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," said Hawke as he followed Marella out of the hospital.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Two hours later, Hawke and Marella came back to join the others.

"How's Caitlin?" asked Hawke.

"She's out of surgery and holding up well," replied Doc. "She had some internal bleeding but they were able to make the repair and the doctor thinks there's no reason she won't make a full recovery as long as she takes it easy."

Hawke let out a sigh of relief. "That's good news," he said.

"Did you have any luck with the film copy?" asked Michael.

"Yeah, we printed out photos of what we found," replied Marella as she handed the photos to Doc and Michael. "There were three vehicles on that stretch of roadway during the time the coroner's office said the young woman died."

"Looks like a jeep, an old pick-up truck and some kind of luxury car," said Doc. "Were you able to get a make on any of the tags?"

"We sure did," said Hawke. "I think we need to go somewhere private to talk though."

The four went back to the small conference room that they had used earlier. When they got there, Marella showed them the photos of the license plates and a print out that listed the owners of the vehicles.

"Oh my God," said Doc. "This one belongs to the one of the state representatives."

"Exactly," said Marella. "We did a little digging and found out that his son drives that car. The other two vehicles are owned by locals from that area and in looking at all the other footage, they came and went locally. Chances that they met up with that young woman are slim."

"So, the state representative's son just might be a killer," said Michael.

"And someone has gone to great lengths to cover it up," replied Hawke. "Now we just need to prove it all."

"We will," assured Michael.

"Right now I just want to go and see Caitlin," Hawke admitted.

"Sure," replied Michael. "Marella and I will see what else we can dig up on this government official. He's bound to have more than one skeleton in his closet."

"Do what you've got to do Michael," Hawke replied while walking towards Caitlin's room. "I want to bring these people down."

Hawke walked slowly down the hallway towards Caitlin's room. He didn't know why he felt so nervous about going in and seeing her. The whole time he was gone with Marella she had been on his mind. As he opened her door, he was a bit surprised at what he saw. He had expected her to look much worse. She was hooked to several monitors but she looked peaceful as she slept. He couldn't but let out a sigh of relief and smile as he approached her.

"Caitlin?" he said softly.

"You're back," she replied, taking him by surprise.

He sat at the edge of her bed and took her hand when she reached out to him. "Yeah, we just got back. I thought you were asleep," he replied. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm better," she said while squeezing his hand lightly. "I'm glad you're back. Did you find out anything?"

"Yeah," he replied. "But we'll fill you in later. You need your rest so you can get out of this place."

"Okay," she replied. "How's Dom doing?"

Hawke smiled. "He's doing great actually," he assured her. "I'll see if he can come and see you in a little while."

"Thanks," she replied. "Will you stay for awhile?"

Hawke leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Sure," he replied.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Back at his office Michael and Marella started their investigation on the state representative.

"This is interesting," said Marella as she handed Michael a file. "Looks like junior stays in trouble quite a bit. He's been expelled from two colleges for disruptive and illegal behavior. Looks like the police were involved but charges were dropped in each case because the family paid restitution for any damages he caused."

"So daddy has a habit of bailing him out," replied Michael. "If he's involved this time, it's murder. He can't bail him out of this one."

"So he tried to keep anyone from finding out," replied Marella. "This guy is pretty dangerous."

"Yeah and I have a feeling it's not just about his son," replied Michael. "If it gets out that his son murdered a young woman, his political career is over as well."

"How are we going to prove this?" asked Marella. "Just because the car was out there at the time is only circumstantial."

"We need to prove he knew this girl or figure out where they met and who could have possibly seen them together," replied Michael. "Unless…."

"Unless what?" asked Marella.

"Unless they took care of the others the way they did Hawke and Dom," he replied.

Marella sighed. "Then I say our best bet is to track down the doctor who took care of Dom."

"I agree," said Michael. "Let's go back and talk to Hawke and the others. We need a plan."


	8. Chapter 8

_I'll post the last two chapters later tonight. This will be my usual 10 chapter story._

**Chapter 8**

The next morning, Marella and Michael met with the others to discuss the information they had found. They were pleased that the doctors had agreed to release Dom from the hospital. Now he would be able to work with them on finding the mysterious doctor who helped kidnap him. Before leaving with them, he stopped by to visit and check on Caitlin.

"Hey sweetheart," he said as he came into her room and walked over to her bed.

"Dom!" she said ecstatically. "You look great."

"Thanks to you," he told her. "You have no idea how much I appreciate you coming here and finding me. I'm just so sorry you were hurt in the process."

"It's okay," she assured him. "I'm going to be fine."

"The doctors are releasing me now," he said. "I'm getting ready to go and look over some photos with Michael to try and find that doctor. That nurse Eli met with them this morning and gave her best description of him. According to the hospital there, he was using some sort of alias and one of the hospital administrators vouched for him. Michael is looking into that as well."

"Good luck," she told him as he leaned down and kissed her.

Caitlin couldn't help notice when Dom stopped a moment and stared at her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh nothing," he replied. "It's just that I didn't realize until now how much I missed you."

Caitlin smiled. "I've missed you too," she said. "I haven't had anyone yell and gripe at me in a long time."

Dom chuckled. "Oh, didn't know you liked that." he told her. "I'll have to remember that. Well, I guess I'd better go now. I'll see you later. Doc is going to stay here with you while String and I go to Michael's office."

"Oh great, a baby sitter," she chided. "Okay, take care."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Within the hour, Dom found himself going through photo after photo trying to identify the doctor who had held him captive.

"I think I need a break," he finally told them. "My eyes are starting to blur."

Michael sighed. "Alright, how about we get you a cup of coffee and the you can start back?"

"Sounds good…..hey wait a minute," he told him. "Go back two photos."

Marella clicked back to the photo that Dom had noticed. "That's him," he insisted. "I know that's him."

"Wait, I think that guy looks familiar," said Hawke. "Give me that newspaper on Representative Lang's campaign speech."

Marella handed him the paper. "That's it, see him? He's standing right beside him." Hawke read the caption below the photograph. "And get this, that's his brother, Doctor Steven Lang."

"Now it's all starting to make sense," replied Michael. "No wonder he was so willing to help this guy out. He's family."

A call came into Michael's office and he quickly answered it. "What the hell?" he said to the person on the other end of the line. "How did this happen? Where was security? What did it say? Damn it, someone is going to pay for this slip up."

The other listened and watched as Michael slammed the phone down. "I have some bad news," he told them. "Someone snagged Doc and Caitlin."

"No!" yelled Dom. "How could that have happened?"

"We have an inside breech is my guess," replied Michael.

Hawke stood up and headed toward the door. "We've got to find them Michael," he insisted. "We need to find them now."

"They left a note," he finally told them. "They want the rest of the footage you shot in exchange for Cait for Doc. You and Dom are to meet them at the old abandoned air strip in two hours. It looks like they might be running scared and leaving the country until this all dies down or can't be proven."

"Like hell they are," replied Hawke. "I think it's time to get the Lady, Dom."

"I thought you'd never ask," replied Dom as he followed Hawke out the door.

"We'll be on standby," Michael told them. "Be careful. As we've seen, these people are ruthless."

"You don't have to tell me that Michael," replied Hawke. "But if Caitlin is harmed in any way, I just might be looking at a real murder charge."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Caitlin and Doc sat inside a small warehouse on the edge of an abandoned airstrip. Caitlin shuddered slightly due to the cool breeze that blew through the half open door as the men waited for Hawke and Dom. Doc put his arm around her to try and keep her warm. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"No," she replied. "My pain medicine has worn off and my side is starting to hurt pretty badly."

"Don't you think we should be waiting outside in the plane?" David Lang asked his father. "I feel like a sitting duck in here."

"Shut up," Representative Lang told him. "It's bad enough I have to bail you out of this mess. I don't need to hear your complaining too. We are fine as long as we have our two visitors here."

"You won't get away with this," Doc assured them. "My friends won't let you."

"Oh, I think we will," said Doctor Lang. "You're too valuable to your friends. They'll hand us the footage and we'll leave the country until this all blows over. Once they realize that there is no proof as to what happened it will all be just hearsay. We'll destroy all of your reputations. No one will believe a thing you have to say."

"How can you just stand there and let your son get away with murder?" asked Caitlin. "He's no better than anyone else. He deserves to pay for what he did."

Representative Lang laughed. "Come on now," he replied. "Do you think I'm stupid? My career would be over if that happened and you know it. Now just shut up. I'm tired of talking to you two."

Caitlin laid her head on Doc's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt weak and tired. "Take it easy," Doc whispered to her. "It'll be over soon."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Within the hour, the men heard Airwolf land outside of the building about thirty feet from their small airplane.

"Get her up," Mr. Lang ordered Doc.

Doc stood up and carefully helped Caitlin to her feet.

"Let's go," Lang continued as he pointed a gun at the two. "Let's get out there."

As they moved towards the door, Dr. Lang came up behind Doc and hit him over the head with a two by four he'd picked up from the ground. "We don't need him in the way," he told them as he grabbed Caitlin by the arms and shoved her outside in front of them.

Hawke stood just outside of Airwolf and waited for them while Dom stayed inside. When he saw Caitlin, his concern grew. She looked very weak and pale.

"I have your video," Hawke told them. "Let's make a trade, the girl for the tape."

"Nope," replied Mr. Lang. "There's been a change in plans. You'll give us the tape but we're taking the girl with us for security just to make sure there aren't any more copies out there."

"Keeping the girl won't help you," Hawke scowled. "She's in no condition."

"I think I'm qualified to take care of her," replied Dr. Lang. "Don't worry. As long as you comply with our demands, she'll live."

Dr. Lang continued to hold onto Caitlin as the other two climbed into their plane. Sensing that she had to do something, Caitlin suddenly dropped to her knees, nearly pulling the doctor down with her dead weight. In the process, he lost control of his gun and it dropped a few feet away. Before he could grab it, Michael and Marella were there to stop him.

Seeing the altercation, Mr. Lang ordered his pilot to get their plane off of the ground. Hawke quickly turned and ran back to Airwolf as the small plane took off down the runway.

Hawke had Airwolf in the air and was on their tail within moments. "I suggest you put the plane down if you want to make it out of this alive," he told them. "I'm not playing around here. I have the fire power to do it."

The plane continued to try to evade them and continued on. To Hawke's surprise they quickly turned around and started firing out of the side of the plane.

"Stupid move," said Hawke. "This is your last chance to turn that thing around."

The men in the plane didn't falter. They continued to try to evade Airwolf and shoot at it.

Hawke shook his head. "Let's take them down Dom," he said.

"You got it," replied Dom as he gave Hawke the firepower he needed.

Within seconds, Hawke blew the small plane, including Mr. Lang and his son out of the air.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

By the time Hawke landed Airwolf, Caitlin and Doc had been loaded into the back of an ambulance and Michael had shut the doors before they took them back to the hospital.

Hawke couldn't help but be concerned. "Are they okay?" he asked.

"Doc was just coming around," replied Michael. "The paramedics think he'll be fine but he took a pretty hard blow to the head. As for Caitlin, she was in a little bit of pain but I think she'll be fine. She sure did a good job getting away from that doctor."

"She sure did," replied Hawke. "She never ceases to amaze me."

"Dr. Lang is in custody," Michael continued. "With Dom's statement as well as the nurse that helped us, we shouldn't have any problems getting him for kidnapping and accessory to murder."

"Did you ever find out who your breech was at the hospital?" asked Dom. "How the hell did they get Cait and Doc in the first place?"

"We caught a break there," said Marella. "It turns out that Caitlin's nurse is Dr. Lang's sister in law. She's been keeping tabs on us the whole time. When we did a special screening of the current staff this time we requested sibling names and found out her sister had the last name of Lang."

Dom shook his head. "I'm just glad this whole thing is over. Let's get back and check on Cait and Doc."

"You got it," replied Hawke. "We'll meet you back at the hospital as soon as we put Airwolf to bed," he told Michael.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

When they got back to the hospital, they found Caitlin back in her room and asleep. Doc was sitting in a wheelchair beside her bed. His head was bandaged and he looked tired.

"What are you doing Doc?" asked Hawke as he came into the room. "Shouldn't you be in a bed?"

Doc smiled. "I'm fine," he told them. "I just wanted to keep an eye on her until you all got back here."

Hawke walked up to his friend and extended his hand to him. "Thanks for everything," he told him as he shook his friend's hand. "I hope someday I can return the favor."

Doc smiled at him. "You already did," he told him. "I'm the one who owed you for all you've done for me. How about we call it even?"

Hawke smiled. "You got it," he said as he moved and sat down at the end of Caitlin's bed.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She's going to be just fine," said Doc as they both sat quietly for a few moments and watched her sleep.

"Hold onto her Hawke," he told him. "Don't let her walk away again. If you do, I think you'll both always regret it."

Hawke shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure that I can stop that from happening," he replied.


	10. Chapter 10

_Okay, here it is...the chapter that the Hawke/Caitlin fans were waiting for. If you're not a fan of the couple, then you might want to stop at chapter 9. Thanks again for he reviews. :o)_

**Chapter 10**

After being released from the hospital, Caitlin joined Hawke at the cabin per his request. She was delighted to have a chance to visit there again and took in the scenery the moment they approached their landing on the dock.

"Wow, it's still as beautiful as ever up here," she told him. "Breathless."

Hawke smiled. "Yeah, I never tire of it, that's for sure."

String escorted her inside the cabin and immediately started a fire in the fireplace.

"I see that everything is still the same inside, except for the sofa," she said as she plopped down onto it."

"Well, the old one had seen better days," he replied. "I decided it would be great to have a sleeper sofa so I could sleep down here by the fire sometimes."

Caitlin grinned. "Oh, can we pull it out?" she asked.

"Sure, why not," he replied as she got up to let him pull off the cushions and open up the bed. "It's pretty comfortable for a sofa bed."

Caitlin plopped back down again. This time she lay down on her stomach towards the end of the bed facing the fire. "I like this," she told him.

"Me too," he said as he joined her.

"You know, I really am going to miss all of this when I go back to Seattle," she admitted. "I forgot how much I loved it all."

Hawke sighed. "When are you leaving?" he asked.

"In a couple of days," she replied. "A friend of mine is covering my flight lessons but I can't expect him to do it forever."

"I guess I was kind of hoping you'd consider staying," he replied. "We've missed you."

Caitlin turned and gave him a serious look. "I know," she replied. "I feel the same way but I've started a new life there and it's made me happy."

"Even without Patrick?" asked Hawke.

"It's harder without him," she admitted. "But I promised myself I'd never look back. I'd move on with my life and find new adventures where ever they took me. I don't think Seattle is an end all for me. I think there's more out there."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," he told her. "I know how it feels to lose someone you love."

"I know you do," she said softly as she reached over and touched his arm. "It just wasn't meant to be."

The two lay silent for several minutes just staring at the burning fire before Hawke spoke up. "Cait, I want to talk about that night," he said. "The night we were together."

"Come on Hawke," she replied. "What's there to talk about? We both went through a lot and we needed each other. We agreed it was a mistake, remember?"

"Was it really?" he asked. "I mean, you were the first to say it was. I wasn't so sure but I went along with you."

"What are you trying to say?" asked Caitlin.

"You ran away as fast as you could after that night," he replied.

"I wasn't the one who started dating others first," she told him.

"You're right," he said. "I was the first to find someone else but I was hurt. I always thought you'd figure that out."

Caitlin rolled over to her side. "Hawke, I know you like to keep things bottled up and you always just hide away when you're upset. I mean I knew you'd been upset but I thought it was because of the little girl."

"You were wrong," he replied. "I never thought that night was a mistake but I decided that you'd be better off if I let you go."

Caitlin couldn't keep her eyes from watering up. She tried to hold them back but the tears began to run down her cheeks. "All this time I thought that night meant nothing to you," she told him.

Hawke brushed her tears away with his hand. "Caitlin that night meant everything to me. I know it started out as two friends finding comfort with one another but in the end, it was so much more. Once you left, I had a hard time. Nothing seemed important anymore. I've still always wanted to find Saint John but I grew a bit cold to others around me, except Dom. I just didn't want to deal with people or let anyone else get too close."

"I had no idea," said Caitlin as she reached up and brushed his hairline with her hand. "Is that why you didn't want any help when they put you in jail?"

"I guess," he replied. "It's hard to explain. I was shocked when you came and I never thought you'd pull that little blackmail trick."

Caitlin laughed as the tears continued to flow lightly down her cheeks. "I'm sorry about that," she replied. "Your secret will always stay with me. I just wanted so badly to see you."

"I know," he replied softly. "I only gave in because I thought it was a pretty bold move on your part. It reminded me of how much spunk you always had."

Caitlin shrugged. "I still do," she replied.

"You've always been so brave," Hawke told her. "With everything we've been through you always saw the positive in everything."

Caitlin moved over and hugged him tightly. "If I'm so brave then why does the thought of walking out of here and never seeing you again scare the hell out of me? And the crazy thing is that staying scares me even more."

"That just means your human," he replied while pulling her even closer. "We both are."

String pulled away slightly and then moved in and kissed her. He was relieved when she didn't pull away and kissed him back. "Stay," he told her. "Please stay and see where the future takes us. I'll admit it all scares the hell out of me too but I'm not the same when you aren't here. I didn't realize how much of an influence you had on me until you were gone."

Caitlin stared into his eyes. The fire and passion that she saw missing in his eyes when she first saw him again, was now there.

"I'm not sure," she whispered softly.

"Then let's spend the night right here, just talking," he replied. "I promise to lay it all out for you. Everything I've been thinking and all the things I wished I'd told you long before now."

"Sure," she replied while shifting back onto her stomach. "I'd like that."

That night the two spent hours talking about how they met and the adventures they had together. They laughed and cried and at times teased each other. In the morning Caitlin found herself snuggled up in his arms. She knew that even though she wasn't going to look back, the new adventures ahead of her would include Hawke. There was no way she could walk out his door and leave him behind again.

"Are you okay?" asked Hawke as he realized she was awake and staring off into the embers of the nearly burned out fire.

"I'm better than okay," she assured him. "I've decided to stay and open a second office down here. I figured I can still keep the one in Seattle and hire someone to run it."

"Great idea," he told her before hugging her and pulling her into a kiss. "So, can we take this up a notch now?"

Caitlin grinned. "Damn, I thought you'd never ask," she replied.

String rolled her over onto her back and kissed her thoroughly. "I love you," he whispered.

"I know," she replied, trying her best not to laugh but not succeeding.

Hawke stared at her a moment and then poked her lightly in her side several times, causing her to laugh harder. "Okay, okay," she replied. "How can I not totally love a man who keeps his childhood teddy bear in his bedroom nightstand?"

Hawke laughed. "Hey, don't forget that's our little secret," he told her. "I really don't want to hear the jokes from Michael and Doc if they were to ever find out."

Caitlin stopped laughing and gave him a serious look. "You always give the illusion of being so tough. I'm surprised you've kept it all these years. Have you ever told anyone else about that?" she asked.

Hawke shrugged his shoulders. "It reminds me of my mother," he replied. "She gave it to me when I was really little. You're the only one I've ever told about it."

Caitlin quickly moved on top of him and kissed him until they were breathless.

"Damn," he said afterwards. "If telling you my secrets gets me that kind of results, I think I need share some more."

"Later," she replied while pulling him back into a kiss.

**The End**


End file.
